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What is out there in admin/mgmt if you don't like blood/gore/death?



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Feb 24, 2009 02:25 AM

What is out there in admin/mgmt if you don't like blood/gore/death?

by TCM1

Hi,

Any options for those who are thinking of becoming nurses but cannot handle blood, gore, poo, vomit, death/dying?
This may seem like a stupid question, but I have volunteered in hospitals and worked with elderly and realized this is not for me. I do like nursing as a profession and wonder how I can get in another niche that doesn't involve the above directly or constantly? (EG: without doing advanced schooling....anesthetics, practitioners etc.)

Thanks!

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8 Comments
No. 1
from traumaRUs
Old Feb 24, 2009, 08:14 AM

Default Re: What is out there in admin/mgmt if you don't like blood/gore/death?
I'm going to move your post to the general nursing forum since you state you do not want to do advanced practice and that is what this forum is for.

Right off the top of my head:

1. Infection control.
2. Case management
3. Public health
4. Some physician's office
5. Utilization review
6. Some occupational health positions
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No. 2
from Purple_Scrubs
Old Feb 24, 2009, 08:39 AM

Default Re: What is out there in admin/mgmt if you don't like blood/gore/death?
Agree with the above, but realize that you have to get through nursing school first, and you will have to deal with all the things you don't like in school. Once you are out in the real world, you may find that non-clinical positions are hard to find, especially with zero hospital experience. If you truly cannot handle those bodily fluids you listed, as in zero tolerance for them, I would suggest finding another vocation I only worked in the hospital setting for less than 6 months, and it was definitely not for me, but even as a school nurse I deal with a great deal of bodily fluids. It is just part of the game!
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No. 3
from FairyCari
Old Feb 24, 2009, 09:33 AM

Default Re: What is out there in admin/mgmt if you don't like blood/gore/death?
I wanted to add to what PurpleScrubs mentioned

In order to even become a nurse you have to go through nursing school, and you HAVE to wipe butts, clean poo, see vomit, deal with blood, etc..

Perhaps you can consider a degree in busines management, and work for a hospital in that regard

Nurses deal with bodily fluids constantly.
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No. 4
from firefightingRN
Old Feb 24, 2009, 09:53 AM

Default Re: What is out there in admin/mgmt if you don't like blood/gore/death?
As strange as it sounds, you kind of get used to it. I mean you have to deal with a certain amount during NS (which makes me recall a petient from NS who was total care and had constant diarrhea - the doc walks in to round, sees that i am wrist deep in a mess and says "i suppose you'd like me to d/c the laxative"... ya think!!!
The positions are out there where you have less (or none) to deal with but in order to get those types of admin or mgmt you inquire about you have to pay some dues on the floor. On the plus side, a friend of mine worked the floor in an LTC for about 6 months after graduation then was moved to an admin position at the LTC.
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No. 5
from April, RN
Old Feb 24, 2009, 09:57 AM

Default Re: What is out there in admin/mgmt if you don't like blood/gore/death?
What about the nursing profession do you like?

As others have said, there are very few nursing jobs out there that don't require "dirty work", especially without any previous hospital experience. But if you tell us what about the profession you do like, maybe we can lead you in the right direction.
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No. 6
from deftonez188
Old Feb 24, 2009, 10:51 AM

Default Re: What is out there in admin/mgmt if you don't like blood/gore/death?
Without echo'ing everyone else, I had mixed feelings about cleaning up bodily fluids and dealing intimately with patients, however in time you really don't even think about it. I'm not kidding, my very first 5 minutes in nursing school I went in to a patients room who had the call light on - well, she didn't make it to the toilet in time and there I was cleaning up poop off the floor and her in my first 5 minutes

It isn't all about you, it's about the patient - that's the most important wisdom i've gleaned thus far.
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No. 7
from TCM1
Old Feb 24, 2009, 11:15 AM

Default Re: What is out there in admin/mgmt if you don't like blood/gore/death?
Thank you all!
I'm a TCM practitioner by trade with 9 yrs schooling. I suppose a few more won't kill me. As for bodily fluids--its mainly blood and dying. I feel faint at the thought of it and dying (I've had a couple damaging experiences through my childhood with family members and how they died--one in my bedroom, and the other a tragic death...one of my close friends, another classmate and both in car accidents. In any case, I just know that I am good at administration. I noticed this when a professor jotted down 20 of my ideas and became the clinical director after I left while improving the clinic and optimizing our treatments plans; moreover, I am a leader type and enjoy managing things.
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No. 8
from jjjoy
Old Feb 24, 2009, 01:15 PM

Default Re: What is out there in admin/mgmt if you don't like blood/gore/death?
Then maybe just go straight for health care administration?
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